STLF holds fundraiser to go green

On Saturday Nov. 7, Students Today, Leaders Forever will be holding a fundraising event like John Carroll University has never seen. The first-ever cocktail party will be held in the Dolan Science Center. The event is complete with jazz music, by JCU’s own Jazz band and fancy hors d’oeuvres.

The organization is holding the fundraiser in order to help their “Pay it Forward” (PIFT) tour event to become more eco-friendly. Recently STLF groups across the nation have been “going green.”

One major step they are taking is to provide more eco-friendly products for their yearly bus trips. During these trips, they travel across the country doing service projects in each city they stop in.

Senior STLF leader Abby Gehring said, “We are very aware that our Pay it Forward Tour is not necessarily the most eco-friendly thing. Since the idea of the trip is to make a difference in the world, we have to be conscious of our environment also. Other chapters have also taken steps to have more eco-friendly trips.”

Gehring and her planning partner, senior Megan Greene, developed the idea for the event and have been planning it since May 2009.

“It was complicated because it was the first event of the kind that Megan and I had ever put together. Also [it is] a first that we know of for the school so we were all learning together,” said Gehring.

The fundraiser will include a raffle and a cash bar. Tickets for the event are $20 for adults and $15 for students.

Greene said, “It is the first time we are hosting an event that involves students, parents, administrators and the community. It’s giving those who haven’t participated in STLF in the past a chance to see why we are so passionate about this organization and its mission.”

All proceeds will fund efforts to go green. Even the event itself will be eco-friendly.

“Our main objective of STLF right now is the PIFT so that is our focus for making STLF more eco-friendly. We are also making sure the fundraiser can be as eco-friendly as possible by not using the main lights in Dolan. And all of our many forms and such we use have gone electronic,” said Gehring.

Students who want to get involved with STLF or with making the fundraiser a success can join STLF’s Facebook page.